Short Audio Essays on Lean Thinking, Leadership, and Continuous Improvement
Lean Blog Audio features short audio versions of articles from LeanBlog.org, written, read, and expanded by Mark Graban. Each episode explores practical applications of Lean thinking, psychological safety, continuous improvement, and performance measurement tools like Process Behavior Charts.
Drawing on real-world examples from healthcare, manufacturing, startups, and other complex systems, the podcast focuses on leadership behaviors that foster learning, reduce fear and blame, and support sustainable improvement. Lean Blog Audio is ideal for leaders, practitioners, and learners who want thoughtful insights they can apply every day.
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Three years ago, The Mistakes That Make Us came out. Around the same time, Elisabeth Swan published Picture Yourself a Leader. Both books' third…
Ford spends roughly $100,000 a year on each of its first-line production supervisors. The title on the job posting is “Process Coach”…
Tesla builds cars in what used to be the NUMMI factory, a joint venture between Toyota and GM (which meant it was run as a Toyota plant with “Lean”…
There are things about Lean you cannot learn from a book, a conference, or a consultant. I say that as someone who writes the books and gives the…
Here's something I've learned over many years of consulting: giving people advice they haven't asked for is a reliable way to get ignored, no matter…
TL;DR: A sound check, live song requests, and a naming regret — what watching Brandi Carlile perform taught me about specific problem-solving…
TL;DR: Deming and Toyota's Fujio Cho asked the same uncomfortable question: why do management systems destroy motivation in people who started out…
TL;DR: In a 1993 speech, Toyota leader Fujio Cho said organizations can create their own Lean systems, but success depends on three principles:…
TL;DR: I turned my Lean Hospitals book into an interactive coaching tool leaders can use during real work — exploring whether improvement…
TL;DR: GE Aerospace's annual report treats safety not as a compliance topic or a communications slogan, but as a core leadership responsibility. By…
TL;DR: Larry Culp's GE Aerospace CEO letter is a rare example of Lean leadership in practice, showing how safety, Respect for People, and small…
TL;DR: In 1987, GM accurately documented why NUMMI worked–and it wasn't tools, techniques, or discipline. This internal report reveals a…
